Yows excited to move on to next soccer chapter with UMKC

Braden Yows has had a ball at his feet for as long as he can remember.

Soccer has been a big part of Yows’ life and he always had dreams of playing in college one day.

On Nov. 10, which was National Signing Day, Yows put pen to paper and those dreams officially became a reality.

In a room full of family and friends, Yows signed to play Division I with the University of Missouri-Kansas City men’s soccer program.

“It was fantastic,” Yows said of his signing day. “I was able to have family, coaches and close friends at the signing. That was important to me. A lot of have been instrumental in helping me get to this point, so it was good to say thank you to all of them on that day.

“I started playing soccer when I was 3 years old. It’s been a game that I’ve loved my whole life. I just enjoy everything about the game. So sure, getting an opportunity to play at this level is exciting and has always been a goal of mine.”

Yows took a few visits and had offers from other schools, but the Kansas City program stood out, especially its head coach, Ryan Pore.

Pore, who just finished his second year as the Roos’ head coach, has a deep soccer background. He played for the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC) for four seasons and played professionally for seven years.

He started his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Tulsa before getting the Kansas City job in 2020. Pore went on to win the Summit League Coach of the Year in 2020.

“He’s played at the highest levels and is well respected within the soccer community,” Yows said. “Without question, he’s a winner. When he started recruiting me, he talked about his goals about wanting to win championships and talked about his plan to get there. 

“Their style of play fits the way I like to play and the things I do well. He’s placed an emphasis at recruiting at a high level. Hopefully I can go in and work hard and be a part of that success.”

Yows built an impressive resume the last three years for the Wildcat program. He has earned first team all-league and all-state honors in those three seasons and was named to the preseason All-American watch list in the state of Kansas earlier this year.

He is the program leader in assists with 46 and also holds the single season record with 21. This season, Yows finished the year with 17 goals and 11 assists.

It is that attacking style that Yows hopes to use to make an impact with the Roos program.

“I connected well with all the coaches,” Yows said. “Their style of play includes a lot of combination play, which is one of my strengths. They see me playing one of their attacking positions, either in the midfield, on the wings, or up top. They rotate a lot of their players through attacking positions, so hopefully I can be part of that rotation and make an impact.”

As for what he wants to accomplish, Yows just wants to enjoy the college experience and help his team in anyway he can.

“Anyone who’s been around me first and foremost knows I want to win,” Yows said. “I’m gonna listen to the coaches, and do they what they ask me to do, and compete every day at a high level. I’m looking forward to learning from the current players and coaching staff to help get better. It’s gonna be fun playing some of the best programs in college soccer.”

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